This application is based on patent disclosures No. 319970, filed Oct. 30, 1992 and dated by the PTO Nov. 21, 1992 (with updated disclosure No. 351013, filed Mar. 24, 1994 and PTO dated Mar. 29, 1994), and No. 309262 filed May 1, 1992 and PTO dated May 4, 1992.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is concerned with power and energy generation and, more particularly, to fluid flow stream tube capture and flow acceleration means for fluid impact impellers providing a substantially rotational output in response to fluid flow. The invention is contemplated for use in connection with electric power and energy generators and power generating systems in general capable of utilizing said rotational power output from the impact impellers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Turbine impact impellers of various designs and configurations for providing a rotational output in response to fluid flow are well known in the art. However, prior art impact impeller turbines, particularly for wind energy conversion, are limited in their effectiveness by typical access to low energy density ambient fluid velocity. Since power output is proportional to flow velocity cubed it stands to reason flow velocity amplification can provide substantial power and energy increase given identical size actuator discs of said impact impellers. The prior art relied primarily on increasing diameter of impact impellers to enhance power and energy. This requires more costly and structurally problematic rotating equipment and less user and maintenance friendly assemblies.
A noted improvement over the prior art impact impeller turbine is the Toroidal Accelerator Rotor Platform (TARP), described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,021,140, which is configured to employ only two impact impellers on each unit.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide means to amplify and accelerate fluid flow in velocity and energy density from ambient free stream levels to higher levels to impact impellers.
It is a further object of the present invention to structurally stack said flow amplifiers about a core structure whereby attendant impact impellers may yaw about said core structure.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide complementary multi-duty service as an energy converter and a housing and a support structure for other than energy conversion equipment.
3. The Present Invention
The present invention is a power and energy generating device comprising a central core support having peripherally mounted thereto parallel to the core a plurality of alternating first and second fluid flow amplifiers, said first amplifier being yaw rotatable and having substantially the shape of toroids of generally arbitrary cross-sections with respect to planes perpendicular and parallel to its central axis and circumventing said core to provide about the exterior periphery of said core open fluid flow regions in which are located an even number of fluid impact impellers, which may be either horizontal axis or vertical axis rotors, for converting fluid flow energy into mechanical energy and said second amplifiers being static and having substantially the same characteristic shape as said first amplifier but being free of impact impellers and complementary to the tip path of adjacent impact impellers. Such an alternately stacked array of: a toroid with impellers, designated a Toroidal Rotor Amplifier Platform (TRAP.TM.), and a toroid without impellers, designated a Toroidal Wind Frame (TWF.TM.), is referred to in aggregate, when used for wind energy conversion, as a Wind Amplified Rotor Platforms (WARP.upsilon.) system. Under wind energy conversion use, it may be used also to both generate electric power and serve as a power line transmission support tower, and/or as a telecommunications or surveillance tower, housing within its toroids related structural, transmitting and receiving equipment.
In tall assemblies, the present invention has the further advantage of a simpler and more economic structure because it eliminates half or more of the yaw assemblies and affiliated electrical transfer mechanisms relative to that of a stacked array of TARPs. This results also from its ability to employ substantially more static versus costlier dynamic yaw structures because at least twice as many impact impellers are accommodated on a single yawing TRAP structure.
Another improvement of the present invention, when configured in WARP.TM. stacked arrays, is virtual elimination of flow interaction between amplifiers with impellers, particularly under varying yaw orientation, because of separating TWF module presence.
Another improvement of the present invention is better protection from precipitation infiltration potential between amplifier modules due to the more nested and shielded location of adjoining module interfaces.
Another improvement of the present invention is more convenient guy wire attachment means due to presence of stationary TWF modules.
Yet another improvement of the present invention is ability to support and enclose equipment such as wireless communications equipment, including microwave antennas and radar dishes, within stationary TWF modules as well as form a housing for other purposes within TWF modules and TRAP modules for protection from the elements.